Originally Posted By Rebekah This topic is for discussion of the 5/13/2002 news item <b><a href="http://www.playbill.com/cgi-bin/plb/news?cmd=show&code=110115" target="_blank">Playbill: Disney Workshop of When You Wish Begins in NYC</a></b> The May 13th <I>Playbill Online</I> announces the workshop of a new Disney-backed musical currently titled <I>When You Wish</I> has begun in Manhattan.
Originally Posted By mauro271 I was very excited to read about this and would love to attend, Doug Sills is fabulous! Can anyone tell me how to get tickets?
Originally Posted By TheRedhead It's a workshop, which means they don't sell tickets. Unless you know someone involved in the show and you're able to get yourself invited, it's very difficult to snag a seat. It's also very possible that if this ever does wind up somewhere, Broadway or Off-Broadway, it won't have the same stars attached. We shall see.
Originally Posted By 45YearsofMagic They should have just expanded Steps In Time from DCA and transferred it to Broadway. (Flame shield up...;o) Drew )
Originally Posted By SJHYM This is probably heretical here, but Disney overuses its songs. I think When You Wish Upon a Star is a beautiful song, but Disney uses it for everything. My fear about this show (including that its a revue) is that it will be pedestrian. Generic Disney songs we have heard hundreds of times with so-so staging. Sounds like a cheap way for Disney to do a Broadway show or tour it, charge $100 for a ticket and make tons of money. Sounds like it will be fairly ordinary.
Originally Posted By TheRedhead Revues are generally so awful and pointless. I don't think I've ever seen a revue, Broadway or Off-Broadway, that was worth seeing. And what makes my skin crawl most of all is when they try and shoehorn songs that have nothing to do with each other into one cohesive script. And it just never works, because you're putting the horse before the cart. Everyone on this site knows that, before anything, you need a strong story. The songs feed from that story, and move the story along. That's what makes a great musical. But when you do a revue, you take a sack of songs and then try and find a story. It's a handicap that's nearly impossible to overcome. Disney has done a pretty good job in overcoming the stigma of making "theme park musicals." This just smells like a theme park musical, too-easy-slam-dunk show that we don't need. But hopefully I'm wrong, and Disney will find a way to reinvent the revue format. But I doubt it. At least it'll be nice to hear B'way caliber people singing those songs, but, in the end, so what.
Originally Posted By ToonKirby There's nothing stating that the songs in "When You Wish" will be shoe-horned into a plot. If all it is is a bunch of Disney songs presented and performed in a quality manner, that will be good enough for me. But then again, I like those theme park shows that collect Disney songs together. If this ends up being "just" a glorified theme park show, so be it. What's wrong if a show if it's simply entertaining? Who needs a story with songs like these?
Originally Posted By TheRedhead And if it's a concert, with songs presented in a concert-fashion, I would be totally fine with that. That sounds great actually. But Tina Landau is a creative person, and I doubt very much she'd be a driving force behind a show that was simply, "Here's Faith Prince singing I Won't Say I'm in Love." Tina Landau is also a book writer of musicals, so I can't imagine there not being any sort of story. In fact, I think it would be a waste to have her do a show that was simply song song song and no story. I certainly don't think it's going to turn into Animazement on Broadway. I just hope it's at least better than the revues NY has seen come through.
